It was Silver's home-rule proviso that killed secession after borough residents had overwhelmingly voted to take up the issue.

Silver also sparked a firestorm when he temporarily stalled $400 million in funding to rebuild the South Ferry 1/9 subway station, a key transit hub for Island commuters.

He also dragged his feet on approving a separate judicial district for the Island, put the brakes on congestion pricing by declining to bring it up for a vote, and squelched the proposed West Side stadium for the New York Jets.

For a time, Silver was the first among legislative equals, the top man in the “three men in a room” Albany scenario. He was a guy who could stop almost any legislation in its track simply by sitting on his hands and doing nothing.

He was also the guy who kept his head below the trench line while others were running to the cameras to explain their position on this issue or that.

By holding back, Silver only increased his power, because before all was said and done, the Speaker had to have his say. Why let his cat out of the bag until he knew where everybody else stood, and what the bargaining terms were going to be? Very canny.

But Silver doesn’t seem to loom quite as large on the landscape as he once did. Some of that no doubt has to do with how the Assembly leadership flubbed the Vito Lopez sex harassment scandal.

He said the Speaker had also helped steer millions of dollars in funding to the College of Staten Island, and had helped save the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities in New Springville from the budget axe.

“He’s always been controversial,” Cusick said. “But he has done some good things for Staten Island.”

But, as Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) Tweeted: “Today marks 20 years that Shelly Silver has served as Speaker of the State Assembly...about 7300 days too long.”

Today marks 20 years that Shelly Silver has served as Speaker of the State Assembly...about 7300 days too long. #TimeToMoveOn